Trapped in Anxiety
by Kayani-Yun
Summary: Flight AU. Claire Farron suffers from agoraphobia and hasn't left the house in four years. What happens when she meets an interesting woman. Will she ever overcome her fears?
1. Trapped in Anxiety

**A/N My First AU. had this idea in my head for some time now, So I decided to go for it and get it written down. I've had a lot of extra time to write lately due to my ailing health, I hate being ill, thank god for laptops or I would be climbing the walls. Thank you again to OerbayunFang for being my beta reader for this story. She is an absolute legend.**

Trapped in Anxiety

Claire Farron groaned, rolling onto her side as her hand frantically searched to cease the persistent buzzing of her morning alarm call. She had no idea why she continued to set it, it had become almost a reflex; every night before she went to bed she would set it for 6am. There was no reason for it: she had no particular place to go, no reason to wake as early as she did. It was habit, and nothing more.

Claire rolled over in bed, rubbing her eyes as she attempted to sit up.

She could hear a shower running from the other side of the house. Serah was up, which wasn't surprising; her sister rose almost as early as she did. Only difference was, she had a reason to.

Claire padded over to her wardrobe, pulling out a black tank top and a simple pair of blue jeans. She decided not to shower just yet, that could wait till later; she had all day after all. Morning times in the Farron household ran like a tightly oiled machine. It was a carefully practised routine that both Farron sisters had become accustomed to over the years, or four years to be exact.

Claire pulled the tank top over her head checking herself in the mirror one last time before heading downstairs and towards the kitchen. It was her job to make breakfast while her sister prepared for work. This was how it had been for years and today was no exception; Serah didn't expect her to make breakfast every morning and she certainly didn't demand it, but after four years of her sister basically supporting them both, Claire figured it was the least she could do.

Claire glanced out of the kitchen window as she continued to make breakfast. She hadn't forgotten what today was. How could she? The memories were never far from her mind, making it impossible for her to forget. She thought about it often, and not a night went by when she wasn't plagued with terrible nightmares. Today was the four-year anniversary of her parents' deaths and four years since Claire Farron had stepped so much as a foot outside her house.

It had all started the day after the funeral. She had been strong that day, attempting to hide her true emotions and stay strong for the sake of her sister. They were both so young, so unprepared for a tragedy of this magnitude. The funeral had been difficult for all involved; emotional eulogies and a roomful of devastated family members, friends and acquaintances. Claire hadn't cried that day, had not allowed herself to. She had buried her emotions, determined to simply make it through the day. Any crying could wait till later when she was alone; not in front of her sister.

When they had returned home that day, she had cried – for herself, for the fact that her parents would never see her grow to become a full adult, never see her achievements, never support her in her goals or console her when she failed; but most of all, she cried for Serah. She knew she had to be strong for her, be the responsible older sister. They would grieve but soon they would have to move on and Claire was determined to make sure her sister was always safe, protected, and that she would never have to worry.

Unfortunately things didn't work out that way, as the next day a series of events would occur that would lead to Claire's eventual diagnosis. Her sister referred to her as a shut in. The therapist's term had been agoraphobia.

As Claire continued to stare out of the kitchen window she drifted back to that fateful day. When she awoke the morning after the funeral she had immediately headed to her sister's room, finding her hunched in a ball, still sobbing. After spending most of the morning attempting to calm her down, she decided it was probably a good idea to attempt to get Serah to eat something. Unfortunately there was very little food in the house so it required a trip to the store. She had told her sister to wait in the living room, grabbing her coat and heading for the door.

It had begun with only one step. Suddenly she had felt herself consumed with emotions, they flooded her body with a power so overwhelming that it caused her to fall to her knees. She clutched her chest, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly she could barely breathe, barely think, her mind filled only with intense pain. Her vision blurred as the world around her started spinning. She felt as though she was dying, drowning in a sea of pain; pure raw emotion filled her body leaving her with an intense feeling of helplessness.

Before she knew what was happening she was being dragged back inside the house. She could barely see her sister's face nor hear her words, though she remembered them sounding frantic; a whirlwind of panic followed before her world went dark.

Claire had woken up a few hours later on the living room sofa, her sister by her side. This is how it started, and after three more attempts to leave the house with no avail, Serah had been forced to call a doctor. The psychiatrist they sent was nice, and after speaking to both Farron sisters, and running tests on Claire, she had diagnosed her with severe agoraphobia, most likely triggered by her parents' deaths.

Claire was dragged from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Serah taking her usual seat at the table. She poured a cup of coffee, placing it in front of her sister with a smile. She returned the smile, taking the offered coffee with a yawn.

"Good morning Claire, did you sleep well?" Serah asked.

Claire nodded, smiling at her sister. It was clear from her tone she was in a good mood this morning. Serah's moods could be somewhat of a hit and miss, particularly since Claire's diagnosis. When she was first diagnosed Serah hadn't known how to take it; for the first couple of weeks she had been somewhat harsh in her attempts to push Claire into leaving the house. After several failed and frightening attempts she had finally made her peace with the situation and endeavoured to leave the psychiatry to the professionals and simply offer support and advice wherever she could. Claire was surprised by her sister's cheerful mood, particularly considering what day it was. She hoped her sister had forgotten and decided not to remind her.

"What are your plans for today?"

Claire chuckled. Her sister asked this every morning, even though she knew the answer. Every day was pretty much the same; she would do the chores, the ironing, laundry and anything else that needed doing throughout the house and then attempt to fill her days with any mundane tasks she could find.

"You know, the usual," Claire replied. "Would you like anything in particular for dinner tonight?"

"You know whatever you cook will be fine," Serah said with a smile, jogging over to the coat rack. "I'll be home at the usual time."

Claire frowned. Her sister was leaving already? It was a lot earlier than usual, normally they would eat breakfast together and chat for a while first.

"Why are you leaving already?" Claire asked, following her sister to the front door. "You haven't even eaten breakfast yet."

Serah pulled on her coat, picking up her work bag from next to the door. "I'm sorry Claire, I have a lot of work to do today, I promise I'll eat something at the office."

Before Claire had a chance to reply, Serah was already halfway to the car. She stood at the doorway and watched as her sister waved goodbye before getting into the car and driving away. She dared not step over the perimeter.

Once again Claire was alone in the house, preparing herself for yet another day of attempting to fill her time with meaningless tasks and busy work. Over the years she had indulged in many hobbies; she had learned the piano, read almost every work of literature in the house and even tried her hand at painting, which she found she wasn't very good at and so lost interest quickly. But Claire's favorite hobby was practising martial arts. Her sister had paid for a gym to be built in the basement and regularly bought home books and instructional videos to help her sister learn the craft at home. Claire had already become a master in several forms of martial arts; she enjoyed the activity, yet still found herself unable to fill the endless hours of the day alone.

Being a shut-in had its advantages, not having to go out in the cold weather was one of them. Because it was a recognized medical condition she wasn't expected to work, which meant she wasn't obligated to socialize or indulge in small-talk with people she had no desire to speak to. But there were a lot of downsides, loneliness was the main drawback, until her sister returned from work Claire literally had no want to talk too. Most of the time it didn't bother her, but there were days when the endless hours of isolation would get to her, and today was one of these days. After everything she'd been through in the past four years, the last thing she wanted was any time to think or reflect. Today of all days, she needed to keep her mind busy, particularly as the next few days would mark another important event.

Her birthday.

**A/N I know not much has happened so far, but this is a multi-chapter story, so I just needed the first chapter to set the scene. Please don't forget to review they really help me alot XD**


	2. Chapter 2

...

Claire opened her eyes to find herself standing in a clearing surrounded by ancient trees covered in beautiful flowers. Normally this would have been the catalyst for a major panic attack, but somehow in this place she felt calm and totally at peace. She breathed in the sweet scent of lavender as the calm breeze blew through her hair.

Unfortunately it was short lived as the rare moment of peace was broken by a terrifying and blood-curdling scream. Claire began to panic, the sound was familiar, and so were the feelings of dread she had felt so many times before. Her mind tuck over her body, running purely on instinct. She ran, trying to put as much distance between herself and the terrifying sound as possible, but it followed her, never ceasing in its almost deafening volume. Suddenly she fell to her knees, hands clutched over her ears. It didn't help. The sound only grew louder. There was no escape, nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Claire gritted her teeth, tears running down her face. She closed her eyes, rocking back and forth, terror coursing through her body. Her hands shook as she pressed them against her ears.

Just when she didn't think she could take any it longer, the scream stopped. Claire opened her eyes to find nothing. She wasn't in the forest anymore, instead surrounded by a blank canvas of pure white light. She slowly got to her feet, wiping the tears from her cheek.

"Hey sweetie, please don't cry."

Claire gasped. She spun around quickly but there was no one there. She knew that voice, had heard it many times before. Wrapping her arms around herself, she tried to hold back the tears burning in the backs of her eyes.

"No, no..." She whispered to herself. "You're not real, you can't be," she closed her eyes, chanting it over and over again.

The silence that followed seemed to last forever, almost as if it was taunting her. She dared herself to open her eyes, wincing against the blinding light.

"You've grown so much, dear," Claire resisted the urge to close her eyes again, instead she slowly began spinning on the spot, desperately searching, "Oh, you are pretty, just like I knew you would be."

Claire stopped, holding her breath. She stared wide eyed at the woman suddenly standing in front of her. Claire's heart ached. She recognised her immediately. She had long pink hair that was only a few shades darker than her own, her face was soft and angelic, and there was a sweet and loving smile on her beautiful features. Claire felt her heart beating faster. Part of her wanted to reach out and fall into her arms. She balled her hands into fists and continued only to stare in disbelief. The only noticeable difference in the woman's appearance was the shade of her eyes. Instead of their usual shade of blue, they were dark, almost completely devoid of colour.

Claire staggered back as the woman approached her. "Stay away from me!" she cried out, "You are not my mother!"

Suddenly, the blank canvas of blinding white light began to darken. The woman stopped dead in her tracks, the gentle smile dropping from her lips. The darkness continued to envelope them both until Claire could no longer see. Her eyes frantically searched the area but she was greeted with only darkness. She stood completely still, terror coursing through her veins. As she took a deep breath, her senses were filled with a familiar and unpleasant scent. She remembered it. It was the scent of death.

The darkness that surrounded her began to break with flashes of light, almost like flashes of lightning. Between each flash she could see the woman still standing in front of her. Her expression had darkened, her eyes filled with hatred and contempt. With each flash, the woman grew closer until they were standing face-to-face. Claire wanted to run but her body was frozen.

With another flash of light, she saw the woman taking hold of her shoulders. She tried to scream but no sound left her. She felt a wet hand caressed her cheek and her senses were assaulted by the foul stench of blood. With one final flash of white light, she saw her mother covered head to toe in blood. Her face was angry but had a hint of desperation.

"You couldn't save me," she snarled, "And you'll never save her!"

Claire woke, gasping for breath. She wiped the sweat from her brow, glancing frantically around the room. It was still dark outside, the only illumination coming from the streetlights and the occasional passing car. Claire lay on her back and attempted to calm her breathing. A glance over at the clock on her bedside table told her that it was two in the morning.

This wasn't the first time that terrible nightmares had woken her up. It happened almost every night. It was rare for her to get a full nights sleep. She was surprised her sister hadn't come bolting into the room. Maybe she hadn't screamed this time; she had so many times before.

She stared at her bedroom celling, trying desperately not to dwell on the terrifying images replaying in her mind. Number one rule for coping with anxiety; no negative thinking. That was easier said than done. Her psychiatrist had told her, after lengthy conversations on the subject of her night terrors, to try not to think or attempt to over-analyse what she had just seen. Of course that proved impossible while she sat alone in the silence of her room. There wasn't much else to occupy her over-active mind. She decided to try and shake it off and find some way to take her mind off the unpleasant images still racing through her thoughts.

She sat up in bed, letting the blanket pool at her waist. She couldn't get back to sleep, not now. She eased herself out of bed slowly padding towards the window. There street was always quiet at night, only the occasional passing car and very little foot traffic. Claire would often be seen glancing out of the various windows in the house. It was the closest she got to actually leaving it, but she found it to be a bittersweet activity. It served as a painful reminder that she may never join the outside world.

Tonight, as she glanced out of the window, she spotted an unusual sight. It was rare to see people walking around at this time of the night but in the distance, Claire could clearly see the outline of a woman walking up the street. She squinted her eyes but the woman wasn't close enough to see clearly. She decided to play a little game with herself, in the hopes that it would take her mind off her harrowing night terrors. She would try and guess who this woman was, where she was going, and what she was doing out of this hour of the night. At the moment all she could make out was a very shaky outline. She guessed it was a woman when she saw the outline of long hair and some kind of dress flowing down her right leg. The woman was stumbling slightly, not walking in a straight line.

"Shes drunk?" Claire cluckled to herself as she watched the woman nearly fall flat on her face, "Yup, definitely drunk."

Claire smirked. That would certainly explain why she was coming home at two in the morning. She had obviously been out drinking. The woman was closer now and Claire was able to make out the black tattoo on her shoulder. From what she could see it seemed to resemble a skull of some kind. She pressed her cheek against the window, trying to get a closer look. When the woman stepped under a streetlight, she was able to see her in more detail. She was wearing some sort of tribal dress. The dress was beautiful, like nothing she had ever seen before. It was a shade of deep blue with elaborate and unique gold trimmings. Her hair was wild and untamed, giving her a roguish sort of charm. When Claire was able to clearly make out her face, what she saw took her breath away. She was quite possibly the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Even completely drunk and stumbling over her feet, she had a graceful air of dignity about her. Claire was almost certain she had guessed the reason for the mysterious woman's midnight travels, but trying to guess any other information about this strange and unique looking figure was proving a difficult task. She had never seen anyone that looked quite like her before. She had a unique style but Claire had to admit she liked it.

The brunette was now on the sidewalk right outside Claire's house. She continued to watch with fascination as the mysterious woman stopped to readjust her belt which was starting to slide downward. Claire silently cursed herself, for a moment her mind had been willing the garment to drop in hopes that she could get a better look at those gloriously long legs. It wasn't often that she allowed her mind to drift into the gutter so easily and she didn't like it when it happened. She prided herself on having excellent control over her more baser urges. She shook off the thoughts as she continued to watch the woman making uneven progress towards her unknown destination.

Claire was so deeply lost in thought that she didn't hear the door opening behind her or her sister entering the room. It wasn't until she felt the gentle hand on her shoulder that she was aware of her sister's presence. She turned to look at her and was greeted with a sad smile.

"I had a nightmare," Serah whispered. looking almost ashamed of herself, "Can I sleep with you?"

Claire smiled down at her sister and nodded. Serah didn't have nightmares every night like she did but they still happened every now and then. "Sure, do you want to talk about it?" Claire asked.

"Not really, but thanks," Serah replied, getting into her sisters bed and pulling the blanket over herself. "You had one too didn't you?" Serah didn't really need to ask, she knew it happend every night. She had been woken up by her sister's screams many times over the years.

Claire only nodded, smiling sadly. Then she remember what she was doing before her sister had entered the room. She blushed, quickly turning to the window. The mysterious woman was gone.

"What are you looking at?"

She startled slightly at her sister's words before turning to face her. "Oh, nothing, just stargazin,." she replied, before moving to take her place next to her sister on the bed.

Serah immediately moved in to snuggle up to her sister. She rested her head in the crook of the older Farron's neck, sighing contentedly. Claire simply watched as her sister drifted into peaceful sleep. She doubted she'd sleep again tonight, her mind was far too active. She stared at bedroom ceiling as she ran her fingers through Serah's soft pink hair. Her thoughts were no longer dwelling on the terrifying images of her nightmares but instead on the beauty of the mysterious woman who had stumbled past her cage of anxiety.

...

**A/N updates will be a lot quicker from now on. hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for all the fantastic reviews!**


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